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A jumper from former Green High School and Walsh University player Garrison Keeslar lifted Chattanooga to the NIT championship on Thursday.

The NIT Championship game in Indianapolis between UC Irvine and Chattanooga came down to the final play of overtime.

Chattanooga survived a nail-biting final play to become the first team from the Southern Conference to win the NIT championship, beating UC Irvine 85-84 in overtime on Thursday.

Former UMS-Wright Preparatory School star Trey Bonham shined on the biggest stage for the Chattanooga Mocs in the NIT Tournament. The senior guard and Mobile native was big in the Mocs’ championship against the UC Irvine Anteaters on Thursday.

It was a group effort for UC Irvine on Tuesday as it had four of its five starters in double figures. Devin Tillis led the way with 16, along with 11 boards. Bent Leuchten added 14, Justin Hohn had 12 and Myles Che posted 11.

The large steel-framed ladder was emblematic of this scintillating, death-defying run over the past three weeks that culminated with the Mocs completing a clean sweep over five games. It was an uphill climb, one rung at a time, never glancing up at the peak until they reached the summit.

The Chattanooga Mocs are NIT national champs! UTC beat UC Irvine 85-84 in overtime. It was a tight contest throughout. Trey Bonham hit a three-pointer beyond half-court to give Chattanooga a 38-37 lead at halftime.

National Invitation Tournament title game matchup is officially set, as No. 1 seed UC Irvine will face Chattanooga on Thursday at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis for the championship. No. 1 seed UC Irvine advanced to the title game with a 69-67 win over North Texas on Tuesday behind 16 points from forward Devin Tillis.